Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden maonachi Cestrensis; together with the English translations of John Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century.

Capitulum quartum. Mar., libro 2^o.

EDWARD, þe Eldere by his surname, regned after his fader foure and twenty ȝere; he was lowere þan his fader in wor|shippe of lettrure, and heyere þan he in worldliche ioye and worshippe, for he bulde newe citees and amended citees þat were i-peyred and sprad þe endes of his kyngdom wydder þan dede his fader. He made þe kynges of Scottes and of Combres and of Walschemen ȝelde hem to hym. He wan Estsex, Norþhumberlond, and Mercia wiþ strengþe out of þe honde of Danes, and hadde all Mercia after þe deth of his suster Elfleda. On his firste wyf Egwyna he gat his eldest sone Ethelstan; oon queene Edgiva he gat Edredus and Edwynus and sevene douȝtres; he maried oon of hem to Otho þe emperour, and anoþer to Charles kyng of West Fraunce, and þe þridde to Siththricus duke of Norþhomber|lond.

Willelmus de Regibus, libro 2 ^o. On his þridde wif Ethelswitha he gat Edmond and Edred; eiþer of hem reg|nede after here broþer Athelston; he gat also tweie douȝtres, seint Edburgh þat was i-sacred to God, and resteþ at Wyn|chestre, and Edgiva þe faire, þat was i-maried to Lowys kyng of Gyan. Also þis made his sones lerne lettrure; and he made his douȝtres firste lerne lettrure, and þerafter he made hem lese þe nedle and þe distaf. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro 2 ^o. Of þis mayde Edburga it is i-rad þat whanne sche was þre ȝere olde here fader wolde wete and assaye wheþer sche wolde torne to God oþer to þe world, and dede in þe oon side of his chambre meny faire iewelles and dyvers and grete richesse, and in oþer side chalys and gospelles, þanne in anoþer place he dede be|sauntes, broches, and rynges, þanne þe norse brouȝt forþ þe childe, þanne þe childe was i-bede chese and take what he

wolde; and sche creep on honde and on foot and took þe gospel. Þanne þe fader custe þe childe, and seide, "Goo þider as God clepeþ þe; sewe hym with a gracious foot þat ledeþ the;" and so þerafter sche was i-made mynchoun; kyng his blood made here nevere torne aweyward, but sche wolde take þe schoon of here sustres priveliche by nyȝte and wasche hem and smere hem, and priveliche brynge hem aȝen. After Iohn þe fourþe Benet was pope þre ȝere. Also þat ȝere seynt Grymbalde þe confessour, þat was kyng Alure|dus his techer, deide at Wynchestre. Þat ȝere Plegmundus þe archebisshop in þe citee Dorobernia, þat is Caunturbury, ordeyned sevene bisshoppes to þe chirches of Engelond; fyve to þe lond of Giweysys, þat beeþ West Saxons, [oon] at Wynchestre, oon in Cornwaile, oon at Shireborne, oon at Welles, [oon] at Crittoun. Also among þe Souþ Saxons oon, and in Mercia oon at Dorkynga, þat is now Dorchestre bysides Oxenforde; for Formosus þe pope hadde i-ȝeve his curse

to kyng Edward and to Englisshe men for scarste of bis|shoppes in here lond, þat hadde i-be bisshoples sevene ȝere to gidres. Þat ȝere brede faillede in Irlond, for wormes þat were tweie toþed and i-liche to wontes fil doun from hevene and ete þe brede corne. But þe wormes were i-doo awey by pray|enge and fastynge. Clito Ethelwoldus, kyng Edward his emes sone, roos aȝenst þe kyng, and occupiede þe citee of Wyne|borne besides Bathe, and seide, þat he wolde have þe maistrie oþer deie þere; but he ravisched and tok awey a mynchoun of þe abbay of Wynborne, and wente þens to þe Danes of Norþhomberlond, and prayed hem of helpe. But þe kyng pursewede hem so strongliche þat he forsook Engelond, and wente into Fraunce; but þe kyng brouȝte wiþ hym þe mynchoun aȝen, and restored here into here abbay: but þe same ȝere Ethelwoldus com aȝen wiþ schippes in grete array, and took wiþ hym þe Danes þat woned in Est Anglond, and assailede and destroyede al þat he myȝte fynde anon to

Crekanforde, þat is Crekelade; þanne he passede Tempse, and spoillede and robbede þe londe anon to Bradenestok, and so he wente aȝen to Est Anglond, þat conteyneþ Northfolk and Souþfolk, as it is i-seide to forehonde ofte tyme. Þe kyng folowede after, and destroyede and spoylede þe londe of his enemyes from þe ryvors to þe bondes of seint Edmond his lond, and heet his men þat non of hem schulde abyde by|hynde; bot þe Kentisshe men forgendrede þe kynges heste, and abide þere, and were i-slawe nyh alle [of] þe Danes; meny were i-slawe in eiþer side, bote Clito Ethelwoldus was i-slawe among his enemyes: þanne þe Danes sigh þat kyng Edward myȝte nouȝt be overcome, and made pees wiþ hym. After Benet, þe fifte Leo was pope twenty monþes, for his preost Cristofre prisoned hym, and toke þe poperiche [so by maystrie, but he was cast out after þe fourþe monþe. Þe fourþe, Sergius put out Cristofre, and was pope] þerafter seven ȝere. [Som tyme he was decon cardynal, and reproved of Formosus þe pope, and wente to Frensche

men. By help of hem he prisoned Cristofre þat assaylede þe poperiche and hylde hit by strengþe, and þanne he hym self occupiede þe poperiche. And in wreche of his [of] put|tynge he made hem take up Formosus þe pope out of his grave, and smyte of his heed, and þrewe þe body into Tyber. Bote at þe laste fischers founde þat body, and brouȝte it to Seynt Peter his cherche, and þe ymages of holy seyntes dede þat body greet reverens and worschippe in his comynge.] Þat ȝere þe citee Carlegioun, þat is Legecestria, þat now hatte Chestre, after þat he was destroyede by þe Danes, was re|stored aȝen by help of Etheldredus duke of Mercia, and of his wif Elfleda; þat citee was þoo i-closed aboute wiþ newe walles, and i-made nyh suche two as it was raþer. So þat þe castel þat was somtyme by þe water wiþ oute þe walles is now in þe toun wiþ ynne þe walles. ℞. Kyng Edward bulde a castel at Hereforde; þat tyme was þe abbay of Cluni i-founded of William þe mylde, prince of Burgoyne. Þe firste abbot of þat place was seint Odo, þe secounde Majolus. William de

Pontificibus, libro 4^o, seiþ þat firste þe monkes of þat place were riche in þe worlde, and of cleer religioun in God. Þat tyme Etheldredus duke of Mercia and his wif Elfleda translated þe bones of seint Edward þe kyng from Bardeneye to Gloucetre, þere þey bulde an abbay in worschippe of seint Peter.

Notes

• vader, γ., et infra.
• y, α.
• letture, γ.
• hyȝer, α.; heiȝer, β.; heyȝher, γ.; hygher, Cx.
• worllych, γ.
• repayred, Cx.
• α, α., γ., and Cx.
• appayred, β.
• wyddur, γ.
• Cambers, γ.
• to, add. β.
• ȝulde, γ.
• stryngþe, γ.
• hondes, α., β., γ., and Cx.
• soster, γ.
• Edelstan, Cx.
• Edelstan, Cx.
• vurste vyf, γ.
• on, β. and γ.
• ham, γ.
• Sihthricus, β.; Sihthiricus, γ.; Sythyrycus, Cx.
• bygate, Cx., et infra.
• Ethelstan, α., β., γ., and Cx.
• Edburg, β; Edburge, γ.
• veyr, γ.
• Gyean, γ.; Guyan, Cx.
• lurne, γ.
• letture, γ., et infra.
• use, α., β., and Cx.
• a mad ham use þe neld, γ.; nelde, β.; nylde, Cx.
• heo, β.
• y-wyte, α. and γ.; wite, β.; wytte, Cx.
• essay, Cx.
• heo schuld, β.
• worl, γ.
• leyde, Cx.
• þat, β.
• veyr juwels, γ.
• þat, add. β.
• putt, Cx.
• besaundes, γ.
• norice, β.; nors, γ.
• boden, Cx.
• he] a, γ.; heo, β.; she, Cx.
• heo creop, β.; crep, γ.
• on] om. α., β., and γ.
• voot, γ.
• kissed, β.
• heo, β., et infra.
• monchon, β.; meynchyn, γ.; nonne, Cx.
• never made her, Cx.
• hue, γ.
• shoes, Cx.
• and] from α., β., γ., and Cx.; of, MS.
• wasse, α; waysche, γ.
• priveliche before aȝen, α., β., and γ. Cx. adds: that sygnefyed mekenes.
• in] of, β. and Cx.
• Giwyseyes, β.; Guyseyes, Cx.
• From β.
• From β.
• Kirtoun, β.; Crytton, γ.; Kyrton, Cx.
• Dorkyngam, Cx.
• now] om. β. and γ.
• yeven, Cx.
• cours, α. and Cx.; cors, β. and γ.
• bycause of, Cx.
• skarste, β.
• twy, γ.
• vul, γ.
• yte, γ.
• ros, β. and γ.; or rebellyd, add. Cx.
• Wynburn, β. and Cx., et infra.
• ravesched, β.; raveste, γ.
• monchon, β., et infra, meynchyn, γ.; toke with hym a nonne, Cx.
• pursued, β.
• vorsouk, γ.
• flyȝ, β.
• meynchen, γ.; nonne, Cx.
• Ethelwulfus, Cx.
• yvynde, γ.
• Criklade, β.; Crekelad, γ.
• Temse, β. and γ.
• anon] om. Cx.
• vorhond, γ.
• distried, β.
• ryver Ous, α., β., and Cx.
• boundes, Cx.
• hyte, γ.
• vorgenderde, γ.
• heeste, β.
• neiȝ, β.
• From γ. and Cx.
• twey, β. and Cx.
• prust, γ.
• touk, γ.
• papasye, Cx.
• vurde, γ., bis.
• vurde, γ., bis.
• Crystofor, Cx., et infra.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• dekene, β.
• repreved, γ.
• þe Vreyns, γ.
• gate, Cx.
• heelde, β.; huld, γ.
• From β.
• of-pottyng, γ.
• op, γ.
• hed, β.
• vyschers vonde, γ.
• reverauns, γ.
• From α., γ., and Cx.
• Caerleon, Cx.
• he] hit, β.; a, γ.
• distruyed, β.
• neiȝ sich, β.
• byfore, Cx.
• buyld, Cx., et infra.
• plas, γ., bis.
• Mayclus, Cx.
• Oswald, β. and γ.
• Glouceter, γ.